Human oddity
| image = | classification = Medical anomaly | franchises = | films = Freaks; House of 1000 Corpses | programs = American Horror Story: Freak Show | comics = | characters = Amazon Eve; Bill Hudley; Jimmy Darling; Ma Petite; Meep; Paul the Illustrated Seal | related = }} A human oddity is someone who was born with a physical abnormality that sets them apart from normal human beings. Others may be altered in certain ways, usually through surgical procedure, to separate themselves from everyday people. People with such birth defects have often been saddled with the derogatory app appellation of "Freaks". In speculative fiction, human oddities are often presented as carnival sideshow attractions. The most well-known of such presentations is Tod Browning's disturbing 1932 film Freaks. Human oddities also played a major role in season four of American Horror Story, which was billed under the heading of "Freak Show". In the 2003 "Grindhouse" film House of 1000 Corpses, the albino psychopath calling himself Otis B. Driftwood enjoyed his own form of body art... which involved making drastic physical alterations to other people. One such victim was Bill Hudley, whom Otis turned into his own personal "Fish Boy". Human oddities have also been presented in other media including comic books such as the DC Comics/Vertigo limited series American Freak: A Tale of the Un-Men from 1994. Characters Notes * Human curiosity, Carnival freaks, and Freak all redirect to this page. American Horror Story from American Horror Story.]] The following notations relate to season four of American Horror Story, which focused on carnival freaks. Some of the actors portraying characters in the season had actual birth defects, while others did not. This section is intended to separate fact from fiction. * No, Jessica Lange who played Elsa Mars did not actually have her legs amputated. She still has two fully functioning legs. * No, Sarah Paulson who played Bette and Dot Tattler does not actually have two heads, that's just "movie magic" at work. * While Michael Chiklis is likely quite strong, there is nothing exceptional about him. * No, Angela Bassett who played Desiree Dupree does not have three breasts. * No, Kathy Bates does not have facial hair. * No, Evan Peters who played Jimmy Darling does not have lobster hands. * While it is possible that Denis O'Hare may in fact have a 13-inch penis, this is something you're going to have to ask him yourself. * No, Grace Gummer did not get a bunch of facial tattoos for this role. * Yes, Mat Fraser who played Paul the Illustrated Seal has short arms, but no, the tattoos are not real. * Yes, Rose Siggins who played Legless Suzi does not have any legs. * Yes, Jyoti Amge who played Ma Petite is really, really small. She is 2'0¾". * Yes, Erika Ervin who played Amazon Eve is really, really tall, though not as tall as the show makes her seem. She is 6'7½". * Yes, Ben Woolf who played Meep was really short. He was 4'3½". No, he likely did not eat baby chickens. * Yes, Chrissy Metz is actually a plus-sized woman, though her wardrobe did nothing to complement her either. See also * Human oddity characters * Appearances of human oddities ---- Category:Medical anomalies